As an Italian girl, I know sometimes great food takes a little extra time to prepare. But lucky you, you get to cheat a little with this recipe and simply plug in your crock pot. It will do most of the work while you get to take a bow at the end of the meal.

I used my favorite canned tomato, San Marzano, for this recipe. You don’t have to, but any cook will tell you they’re the best. Why? Because they’re perfectly vine-ripened and come packed in pure tomato sauce instead of water. Well worth the extra cost in my opinion. But if you prefer fresh tomatoes, by all means, use them. You may need to add some tomato paste to thicken the sauce.

I gotta tell you, my hubby is not a fan of meatballs. I know, he’s just weird. So when I said I was making this recipe, he just shrugged. I knew he was thinking who eats those little balls of meat anyway?

Then he tasted them, and changed his opinion real fast. He loved them so much he had them for dinner last night, and again today for lunch. Need I say more?

Another great idea for these is to serve them as appetizers at cocktail parties. Just make them a little smaller and stick those cute little toothpicks in them and your crowd will love them!

OMG, yumminess plus here! They are by far the best meatballs I have ever tasted! When the meatballs are gone, I used any leftover sauce in my homemade spaghetti sauce…nothing gets wasted. Many thanks for making me a meatball lover!

You are too kind! Thank you! (I’m sorry for the delayed response. Catching up.:) My husband said the same thing. He told me not to do crock pot meatballs, but I did anyway and now he’s on board. haha! Thank you for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed the recipe.

Any suggestions for making these egg free? I have dairy, wheat and egg sensitivities…this recipe hits the mark on 2 out of three and sounds delicious!
Also, I’m planning a baby shower and would love to make these ahead of time (hopefully 2-3 days). Do you think I should cook them through and then just reheat them day of?

Hi Carmen…you can use crushed or pureed tomatoes…or if fresh plum tomatoes are available in the produce section you can use those, but you’ll need to add some canned tomato sauce to go with them. Hope that helps :)

It makes about 20 large meatballs. For appetizers I would suggest making them smaller so they aren’t too heavy for a toothpick if serving as apps. You could make the recipe as is or add a bit more meat for more meatballs. It makes a big batch.

Kim, you can just leave it out if you like. Other people have told me they have done this because of allergies and they still came out great. :) Or if you have a favorite gluten free/nut free bread you could use bread crumbs from that as well.

I am so happy I found this recipe!! Your recipe for meatballs is closer to my grandmother’s (who was born and raised in Italy) recipe than any other recipe I’ve seen :) ….and you’re right, San Marzano tomatoes are the best….everyone in my family raves about them!! Thank you for posting…and I can’t wait to make these!!

Wow, that’s so kind of you to say Daniela! It’s hard trying to keep Italian recipes authentic with the paleo restrictions, but I think you will like this one. For me meatballs and marinara is pure comfort food. I Hope you enjoy. :)

I tried this with venison. I ended using 2/3 venison and 1/3 turkey. Overall, it was great – the sauce was delicious and I served of spaghetti squash. The meatballs were good but could use a little more moisture for this low fat meat version. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hi Christel, good questions. Since you’re using super lean meat it’s a little difficult. You might try adding some shredded zucchini or mushrooms to the meatball for moisture. If your looking for fat, maybe some coconut or olive oil? Maybe some of both (zucchini and oil) would be good? I’m not sure because honestly I don’t have a lot of experience with venison. Let me know how it goes.

I saw a slow cooker meatball and marinara on Cook’s Country Kitchen-couldn’t get the recipe because they say it so fast and when I looked on the web page you were expected to sign-up for a magazine subscription – BUT, during the TV episode, they used shredded mozzarella cheese instead of bread crumbs – this was to hold the meatballs together and add moisture…give it a try. These were also some very large (about 2-3 inch meatballs).

Paula, that sounds wonderful! The only reason I do not add cheese to the meatball recipes is because a lot of paleo people can not tolerate dairy. If dairy is part of their diet, I would say go for it! :)

i just found your blog and your recipes are awesome … just pinned a ton of them! My non-Paleo husband is always asking me what kind of an Italian am I because I don’t eat pasta and bread but now with your recipes maybe I can go back to being an Italian again, only healthier!

This recipe looks great. If I hadn’t just finished assembling your chili recipe for tomorrow’s dinner, this might have gone on the docket (the chili looks like it will be delicious, btw). Definitely saving this one for later, though.

Hi Barb, I would use tomatoes that way if I had them. I haven’t had success in my attempts to grow them and store them for winter. Az is super hot, and my green thumb is lacking. I also take into consideration working people that need recipes that are easy and have all the ingredients available at the grocery store. :)

This is my second time making these also. They are truly a delicious recipe…especially for someone who loved italian food and went paleo for better health. They truly do satisify my italian cravings and my husband loves them as well. Thank you Trina for a great idea and we will continue to enjoy..

I LOVE your blog and these recipe looks delicious! I’ve recently went Paleo doe to an anaylphalactic allergy to gluten and a growing sensitivity to other grains, and I love finding normal recipes that I know my family will love! Can’t wait to make these meatballs!

Hi Patty, I’m glad you found us! I try hard to make the foods you’re used to, but changing them up paleo style. The meatballs are great and you would probably like the crockpot chili and chili lime pork. All easy, and comfort food. I hope all goes well for you. Paleo was a life changer for me, but in the best way!

Haha Heather! I told my husband the same thing. I put off making this recipe for a long time because every time I brought it up he would make a face! But I got the last word because he loves them now! :)